Colleges: Lanchester

34. THE COLLEGE OF LANCHESTER

The church of Lanchester was rectorial till the year 1283, when Bishop Bek erected it into a collegiate church consisting of a dean and seven prebendaries. To the dean were allotted the altarage of the church and its three chapels, and the messuages belonging to the chapels, saving only such room as the prebendaries should require for the storage and sale of their corn. The fee-farms belonging to the rectory were divided amongst the prebendaries.

The dean had the cure of souls in the parish, and was responsible for the repair of the chancel, and the supply of two chaplains. He was also bound to provide ministers for the chapels, and to take special care that mattins was sung daily for the parishioners to attend before going to their day's work. Each of the first three prebendaries had to provide at his own charge one vicar chaplain, and the remaining prebendaries each one chaplain in holy orders (i.e. a deacon). Strict rules were made for the conduct of these vicars both in and out of church. (fn. 1)

In the Taxation of Pope Nicholas, 1291, the revenues of the college were rated at £90 13s. 4d.; at the dissolution, £49 3s. 4d.; (fn. 2) and in the survey returns of 1548, £73 10s. (fn. 3)

About the year 1378 Bishop Hatfield found fault with the canons of Lanchester for not paying the salaries of their vicars, (fn. 4) but his admonitions on the subject produced no lasting effect. In the time of Bishop Langley the dean was non-resident; (fn. 5) the church, chapels, and houses of the college were in a ruinous condition; the vicars' places were vacant, and their salaries went into the pockets of the canons. (fn. 6)

At the dissolution small pensions were reserved for the curates of Lanchester and the three chapels; the rest of the collegiate possessions were scattered under crown grants. (fn. 7)

Deans of Lanchester

John de Craven, app. 1283 (fn. 8)

William de Marclan, occ. 1311 (fn. 9)

William de Whickham (Quykham), occ. 1313-17 (fn. 10)

Richard de Kilvington, coll. 1339 (fn. 11)

John de Newbiggin, occ. 19 June, 1350 (fn. 12)

John de Derby, coll. 11 August 1369 (fn. 13)

John Burgess, occ. 1383; (fn. 14) 7 June, 1388 (fn. 15)

John Cokyn, occ. 13 May, 1399 (fn. 16)

John Dalton, coll. 15 April, 1408, p.m. J. Cokyn (fn. 17)

John Hunteman, res. 23 January, 1415-16 (fn. 18)

William Brown (fn. 19)

J. Suthwell, coll. 9 July, 1416, p.r. W. Brown (fn. 20)

William Pelleson (fn. 21)

William Brown, coll. 1417, by exch. with W. Pelleson (fn. 22)

William Aslakby, coll. 21 September, 1424, by exch. with W. Brown (fn. 23)

Stephen Austell, d. 27 February, 1461 (fn. 24)

John Rudd, d. 29 September, 1490 (fn. 25)

Thomas Thomyoo, D.D., coll. 1490, p.m. J. Rudd (fn. 26)

Laurence Claxton, coll. 7. April, 1496 (fn. 27)

Robert Hyndmer, coll. 2 April, 1532, p.m. Claxton; (fn. 28) dean at the dissolution (fn. 29)